Blakely v. Washington
- Decided
- June 24, 2004
- Docket
- 02-1632
- Status
- Published
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
Cited 13,994 timesNo negative treatment found in this library
What later courts said
- concluding that judge unconstitution ally imposed sentence beyond statutory maximum after finding that defendant had acted with deliberate cruelty in committing crime — State v. Fagan (2006)
- holding that sentence imposed under Washington State sentencing scheme violated Sixth Amendment because it was enhanced based on judge-found facts — United States v. Russell Lee Ebersole (2005)
- holding that, for purposes of Apprendi, the statutory maximum is the maximum sentence that may be imposed based solely on the jury's findings — State v. Collins (2008)
Each line is a later court’s own words about this case, not a summary. Read the opinion before relying on it.
How the opinion begins
[*298] Justice Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court.
Petitioner Ralph Howard Blakely, Jr., pleaded guilty to the kidnaping of his estranged wife. The facts admitted in his plea, standing alone, supported a maximum sentence of 53 months. Pursuant to state law, the court imposed an “exceptional” sentence of 90 months after making a judicial determination that he had acted with “deliberate cruelty.” App. 40, 49. We consider whether this violated petitioner’s Sixth Amendment right to trial by jury.
I
Statutes cited
Cite this
Blakely v. Washington, 542 U.S. 296 (2004)Read the full opinion
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